12th Annual Book Drive

The kick off for the twelfth annual book drive by Worcester: the City that Reads has started. The Committee is looking for books (Pre-k to grade 8) for summer reading.

The group was founded by John and Anne-Marie Monfredo twelve years ago to promote literacy in the community, put books into the hands of children who lack books in their homes, and to promote the importance of being a life time reader. In eleven years over 480,000 books have been collected. The goal is to reach the 500,000 book collection this year.

After the drive in May the books will be distributed to the schools and various agencies in Worcester during the week of June 4th as part of the "Reading In Our City Week."

Please donate a new or gently used books, Pre-kindergarten to grade 8, at the following sites from now to May 8th.

People’s United People’s Bank ( (all six city branches) including the town of Shrewsbury,

Worcester Public Library

Commerce Bank (all four city branches) including Holden

Bay State Savings Bank (all branches)

TD Bank on West Boylston Street

Stop and Shop on Lincoln Street

Stop and Shop on Grafton Street

Stop and Shop on West Boylston Street

Shaws Market on West Boylston Street

RSVP and the Senior Center on Vernon Street

Worcester Credit Union

Starbucks Coffee on one West Boylston Street and in Auburn

Panera’s on West Boylston Street

Austin Liquor at Gold Star Blvd

Jewish Community Center on Salisbury Street

Leader’s Way – Kung Fu Academy on Burncoat Street

Greendale YMCA

Main Street YMCA

Bagel Inn on Main Street in Holden, Ma.

St. Vincent’s Hospital at the entrance door on Summer Street

Summit Elder Care on Grafton Street

Worcester Public Schools School Committee Office – 20 Irving Street

Worcester City Hall at the City Manager’s Office

Anne’s Books Shop on James Street in Worcester

Other sites assisting in their own book drive are as follows:

Houghton Mifflin Hartcourt Publishing Company

Salvation Army

UMass Medical

UMass Memorial

Worcester Public School High Schools... Burncoat High, Doherty High, North High, South High, Claremont Academy, University Park Campus and Worcester Technical High.

Bancroft School

Holy Name High School

St. John’s High School

Notre Dame Academy

Worcester Academy

Venerini Academy

Boy Scouts

Girl Scouts

Hanover Insurance

Harvard Pilgrim

Little leagues of Worcester

UNUM insurance

Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital

Wilson Language Training Center

The following colleges and universities: WPI, Clark University, Becker College, Worcester State University, Anna Maria College, Assumption College, and Mass. College of Pharmacy, and Salter College, and Quinsigamond Community College.

AFL/CIO Labor

Northboro Junior Women’s Club

A LISTING OF THESE SITES AND OTHER ADDITIONAL SITES CAN BE ACCESSED BY GOING TO THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES: www.worcpublib.org

For more information, or if other schools or businesses are interested in helping out please call John or Anne-Marie Monfredo at 508 853-3444. Remember, everyone can help in this most worthwhile community service project and bring the joy of reading to every child for NO skill is more crucial to the future of a child or to a community, than literacy. Please be part of this project!

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